European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 20, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A amps Dave Didio radicchio nestling Here among its Green Brothers is eaten regularly As a cooked vegetable in Italy sometimes grilled in Olive Oil and chopped garlic. By Olwen Woodier the new York times Leafy greens Are now available year round and american Cooks would do Well now to take a Page from european recipe books and Cook the greens that Are usually destined for the salad bowl. The French Blanch the smaller Tom thumb sized Heads of lettuce dip them in egg and bread crumbs then deep Fry them. They also Cook quartered Heads of Boston or Bibb lettuce with fresh Garden peas Parsley and Small White onions sometimes adding a Little Cream. This is a dish that sometimes appears on the menu at Maison Robert a restaurant in the old City Hall building in Boston. The executive chef Andree Robert also blanches Boston lettuce leaves to wrap oysters escargots Ratatouille and couscous. Quot we use Boston because the rib is very pliable Quot she said. Quot however Leaf lettuce and Large spinach leaves work just As  greens of Spring Coffeng them european style in Many countries especially those bordering the Mediterranean Cooks saute tender greens in a Little Oil fat or butter then flavor the dish with Leeks onion tops garlic Pine nuts or grated hard cheese. In her Book Quot Honey from a Weed fasting and feasting in Tuscany Catalonia the Cyclades and Apulia Quot Harper amp Row 1986patience Gray describes several Mediterranean cooking methods for what she Calls Quot edible  she recommends boiling Chicoris draining off the water and tossing them into hot Olive Oil seasoned with garlic red Pepper flakes and wine vinegar or Lemon juice. Gray also describes a greek recipe in which dandelions and Chicory Are used to flavor Rice. In England lettuce leaves Are sauteed in butter seasoned and served with Chicken or Ham. Small tightly balled lettuces like Bibb Are blanched whole drained and braised with Oil Bacon and onion. Another Way to use up the outer leaves of the larger lettuce varieties is to Blanch them and use them in place of cabbage leaves to enclose chopped meat or seasoned Rice. These stuffed packages should be arranged in an oiled dish drizzled with a Little liquid covered and braised slowly for about 30 minutes. A variation is to Blanch whole Heads of Bibb lettuce and then stuff a Tablespoon of meat Rice or seasoned bread mixture Between each Leaf. Braise them in the same manner As the stuffed packages. Joseph Franco the owner of Rist Orante Dieci in Manhattan has been serving cooked Heads of radicchio for about 10 years Ever since they have been commercially available in the United states. Quot radicchio and endive Are eaten regularly As a cooked vegetable in Italy Quot he said. He cuts the Heads in half and sprinkles them with Olive Oil and chopped garlic. Franco then grills or broils them drizzling them with a Little Sweet Balsamic vinegar while they Are still hot. Quot these Are very popular As an appetizer Side dish or even As part of a composed vegetable plate that some people order As a main entree Quot Franco said. Another Way to use Leafy greens As a main dish is to chop them Fine and add them to souffles pizzas ome lets and quiches. Then again you can also toss a couple of handfuls of shredded or torn leaves into a bean and pasta soup for the final 10 minutes of cooking. Greens can also add flavor texture and color to cheese mushroom and White sauces for fish or Chicken. When cooking greens avoid aluminium pots. They will affect the color and flavor particularly of varieties that Are dark Green and High in Iron. Rather choose stainless steel or other non Corro Dible Metal. Cooking too Long in too much water also Breaks Down the color changing it from Bright Green to Brownish Green. To retain the most nutrients plus a vivid color Cook quickly in As Little liquid As possible. Simply steam the greens Only in the water that clings to the leaves after washing. But if you want to remove some of the bitter flavor from the stronger tasting ones Blanch them first. Bostons Andree Robert recommends dropping them into boiling water for no More than a minute then slicing and adding them to a saute dish. After cooking she said immediately refresh the greens in ice water before gently blotting dry if you re going to use whole leaves As wrappers. Page 14 a a a the stars and stripes